Copland CSA29 vs Unison Research Unico vs Primare i30

[high.spirits]

I'm looking for a second hand integrated amp for use in the summer as my Jolida valve amp (2 pairs of el34s in push pull) makes the room rather hot.

The 3 amps in the title seem to have a similar sound to my Jolida from reviews. I listen to a wide range of music from female vocals to Pink Floyd and some classical.

Any feedback from someone with experience of the above amps would be appreciated. Thanks.

[hifinutt]

so spent a number of hours with some wonderful fellow audiophiles listening to the unico b 90 integrated . . never heard this amp with harbeth shl5 before . it had been warmed up for some hours but as newish not quite run in yet

having read the review i noticed a comment about a wobbly knob but looking at the feel of these there was no play in them and built quality looks very good . easily fitted on the rack which is a big plus . remote is wooden with metal upper plate and works clearly and accurately giving good control over sound . it only works the volume though .

Big sound with a number of tracks i am familiar with , gert emmens [dutch electronica] was full bloodied and detailed but not even a hint of harshness . playing some old mancini tracks it sounded every bit as good as far more expensive kit . playing eric bibb was a sense of presence and the organ music from bach was pretty deep . overall i would give the unico a big thumbs up and even consider it myself perhaps one day

[high.spirits]

Thanks Phil. Sounds like a great way to spend a few hours. Definitely worth a listen then.

How does the sound compare with your Modwright? The Modwright integrated is 1 k + more expensive though and no valves.

[hifinutt]

ah thats a difficult one as my modwright is a pre amp and the power amp is msb , costing many times what the unico cost . i am currently using with proac 125 as a stop gap only

that said the unico sounded very enjoyable . i would have to have the same speakers in my system to directly compare

this is what keith said though

Yep just as ..phil says .... lovely , with lovely speaks that as I have said before suit alans room,

lots of nice music played and with alans preference for an engrossing / emotional immersive sound quality,

this amp delivers in bucketloads......... couldn't comment on the remote , unable to prise it out of phils hands...:)

no soggy bottom with this set up , ..paul Hollywood would approve.

nice to meet up with phil again.... three men in a boat did you say ,.. so much music banter / appreciation today.

[high.spirits]

Totally understand re comparing apples and pears. Not easy at the best of times :)

Thanks for passing on the additional comments. On my short list for audition.

[hifinutt]

the modwright integrated is a superb beast , and the support you get is brilliant . yes it has no valves but its brilliant none the less . keep your eyes out as they pop up around 2.5k . keeps its value well and sells well

if money is tight the gent I saw today was well impressed with this model and used it prior to the unico

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNISON-RESEARCH-UNICO-Hybrid-integrated-amplifier/152776101448?hash=item23922a4e48:g:YloAAOSwkLhZ7OH X

[Ninanina]

Martin I've owned both a Copland CSA28 (probably pretty similar to the 29) and the Unico in the past

They are both extremely well made amps with the Copland pipping the Unico with it's silky smooth controls and exemplary fit and finish

To be honest in the end I found both of them rather boring sounding and came to the conclusion that neither of them had the benefits of sounding like a good valve amp or a good ss amp, maybe not so surprising as they are both hybrids

If I was pushed, and from memory, I slightly preferred the Unico sound wise but there wasn't much in it

There are some amps that I've owned which I would definitely own again but neither the Copland or Unico would be on that list

Don't know if that helps at all, probably not ;)

[vintage60]

Hi Martin

I used to own Harbeth HL-K6se and during that time I also owned at separate points in time, a CSA 29 and a Unico and I have some overlap with some of your system. Oracle Delphi TT with 2M Black and I also used a tube amp, a Mystere ia11 (6SN7 and EL34/KT77).

There are several versions of the Unico: original Unico mkI (with a radio frequency remote) and a Unico mkII with an infrared remote. Both of these run ECC82 tubes. Later, there was a Unico P and a Unico Primo (different ones I believe) which used ECC83 tubes. I've only ever heard the mkII Unico with the ECC82 tubes which I owned so I do not know how it compares to the later ones running ECC83 tubes.

I would say that the Unico I owned was a very good balance between SS and tube, but leaning more towards the SS side of the spectrum. With 85wpc, there was plenty of power and no harshness to the mids and highs. It didn't sound as powerful nor did it grip the bass as well as a Naim Uniti, nor my separate Naim Nac72/Hicap/Nap200 which I also owned at the time, despite the Naim units having less power. That's not to say that the bass was lacking, rather, it could have been a bit tighter, but if I had not had a comparison point with the Naims, I would have been happy enough with the Unico. I don't know about you, but I feel that the Harbeths really come alive when given some high quality current and a decent level (>50) of watts.

The CSA29 was remarkably similar to the Unico in its sonic signature, with the only real (to me anyway) noticeable difference being that it had a slightly larger sound stage. On the other hand, the Unico seemed to sound a touch more focused and pointed although this might just be because of the slightly narrower sound stage.

There is more commonality between the CSA29 and Unico than between either of them and the Naim system. Thus, if I already owned a Unico, I would not be tempted to switch to a CSA29 or vice versa. Both are, in my limited experience of hybrids, pretty much the best in their price band. I don't think you'd be making a big mistake with either in the sense that one is not dramatically better than the other.

I've now upgraded to a LSA Signature hybrid which is many times the cost of the Unico or CSA29 and whilst it is much better, it required quite a step up in price to achieve a real upgrade from the CSA29 or Unico.

My conclusion though is that neither the CSA29 nor the Unico sound particularly special and in that sense, having sold both of them, I don't really miss either of them. On the other hand, the LSA Signature is something that I would miss.

I'm afraid that I've not heard the Primare i30 so I cannot comment on that.

Slightly off topic, but picking up on something hifinutt said, I now own a Modwright SWL 9.0se preamp (it has tubes) paired with Bel Canto m300 monoblocks and this is (to my ears) a really good combination. Probably what a properly successful combination of tubes and SS should sound like.

On a final note, I should caveat that I am quite sensitive to high frequencies and also a bit deaf in my left ear...so I'm sure this has a part to play in my perception of the sound coming from hifi.

Hope this helps a little.

[Ninanina]

My conclusion though is that neither the CSA29 nor the Unico sound particularly special and in that sense, having sold both of them, I don't really miss either of them

That is exactly what I meant and should have said.. :doh:

[high.spirits]

Thanks for the pointer re Modwright integrated.


the modwright integrated is a superb beast , and the support you get is brilliant . yes it has no valves but its brilliant none the less . keep your eyes out as they pop up around 2.5k . keeps its value well and sells well

if money is tight the gent I saw today was well impressed with this model and used it prior to the unico

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UNISON-RESEARCH-UNICO-Hybrid-integrated-amplifier/152776101448?hash=item23922a4e48:g:YloAAOSwkLhZ7OH X

[high.spirits]

Hi Thiha

Thanks for your detailed feedback. Very helpful given you have had much of my kit in the past. The LSA looks a big beast!
I perhaps need to audition an upmarket SS amp with plenty of power before making a final decision. There are so many amps out there and given the combination with speakers makes shortlisting difficult. Thankfully made easier with hifi forums though.

Ninanina
Thanks for your perspective on the amps. Your statement makes sense "There are some amps that I've owned which I would definitely own again but neither the Copland or Unico would be on that list."

I now need to build a slightly different audition list including the Modwright and Luxman. This hobby is great fun.

Thanks again all, for your input.

[ianlenco]

Hi Martin,
I've had Copland and Unico in my system over the years although I can't remember the model numbers. I tend to agree with the others. Coplands are beautifully built with understated styling but neither amp lasted that long in my system - smooth yes but unexciting. Like you I listen to a lot of female vocalists so I hate anything that tends to shrillness. Current amp is a Leema Pulse Mk1 which is smooth as silk but can also boogie when required. It also runs cool :) I'd put a Leema and maybe a Sugden a21SE on your list although the latter also acts as a room heater! Supposed to work well with Harbeths though.

[hifinutt]

"I would say that the Unico I owned was a very good balance between SS and tube, but leaning more towards the SS side of the spectrum. With 85wpc, there was plenty of power and no harshness to the mids and highs. It didn't sound as powerful nor did it grip the bass as well as a Naim Uniti, nor my separate Naim Nac72/Hicap/Nap200 which I also owned at the time, despite the Naim units having less power. That's not to say that the bass was lacking, rather, it could have been a bit tighter, but if I had not had a comparison point with the Naims, I would have been happy enough with the Unico. I don't know about you, but I feel that the Harbeths really come alive when given some high quality current and a decent level (>50) of watts."



we played a huge range of music including film music from interstellar and electronica with the harbeth using the unico 90 . bass was seismic , controlled and the sheer grunt from these speakers was fabulous with this amp . they really did come alive with this amp .

[hifinutt]

Hi Martin,
I've had Copland and Unico in my system over the years although I can't remember the model numbers. I tend to agree with the others. Coplands are beautifully built with understated styling but neither amp lasted that long in my system - smooth yes but unexciting. Like you I listen to a lot of female vocalists so I hate anything that tends to shrillness. Current amp is a Leema Pulse Mk1 which is smooth as silk but can also boogie when required. It also runs cool :) I'd put a Leema and maybe a Sugden a21SE on your list although the latter also acts as a room heater! Supposed to work well with Harbeths though.

i ran a leema pulse mark 1 in second system and yes it was really good and could definately boogie , cracking piece of kit

[vintage60]

"I would say that the Unico I owned was a very good balance between SS and tube, but leaning more towards the SS side of the spectrum. With 85wpc, there was plenty of power and no harshness to the mids and highs. It didn't sound as powerful nor did it grip the bass as well as a Naim Uniti, nor my separate Naim Nac72/Hicap/Nap200 which I also owned at the time, despite the Naim units having less power. That's not to say that the bass was lacking, rather, it could have been a bit tighter, but if I had not had a comparison point with the Naims, I would have been happy enough with the Unico. I don't know about you, but I feel that the Harbeths really come alive when given some high quality current and a decent level (>50) of watts."



we played a huge range of music including film music from interstellar and electronica with the harbeth using the unico 90 . bass was seismic , controlled and the sheer grunt from these speakers was fabulous with this amp . they really did come alive with this amp .

The Unico 90 certainly looks very impressive but I suspect that it is significantly different to the early generation Unico that I had (circa 2003 model). My Unico did not sound like it had 85wpc. It was comparable with the Naim Nap 150 that I also owned at the time. On the other hand, the Avondale m130 which I think have 70wpc have far more grunt and grip on the bass than the Unico I had.

Likewise my Bel Canto m300 monos and my LSA Signature, far more bass that is tightly controlled and seismic than the Unico could ever muster.

[vintage60]

Hi Thiha

Thanks for your detailed feedback. Very helpful given you have had much of my kit in the past. The LSA looks a big beast!

36 kilos I believe!

[high.spirits]

Hi Martin,
I've had Copland and Unico in my system over the years although I can't remember the model numbers. I tend to agree with the others. Coplands are beautifully built with understated styling but neither amp lasted that long in my system - smooth yes but unexciting. Like you I listen to a lot of female vocalists so I hate anything that tends to shrillness. Current amp is a Leema Pulse Mk1 which is smooth as silk but can also boogie when required. It also runs cool :) I'd put a Leema and maybe a Sugden a21SE on your list although the latter also acts as a room heater! Supposed to work well with Harbeths though.

Hi Ian

I listened to a Leema amp at the Whittlebury hifi show some years back and was impressed even in the poor environment of a show.

One more for my list. Thanks.

[hifinutt]

The Unico 90 certainly looks very impressive but I suspect that it is significantly different to the early generation Unico that I had (circa 2003 model). My Unico did not sound like it had 85wpc. It was comparable with the Naim Nap 150 that I also owned at the time. On the other hand, the Avondale m130 which I think have 70wpc have far more grunt and grip on the bass than the Unico I had.

Likewise my Bel Canto m300 monos and my LSA Signature, far more bass that is tightly controlled and seismic than the Unico could ever muster.

the chap had had the early generation unico and offered me to try it . it was that that got him on to the 90 . i would certainly have it on my wish list if i had to downsize amps

[high.spirits]

Well I went for a Luxman 505ux in the end. Found an immaculate second hand one.

No heat from valves and a lovely sound through the Harbeths.

Thanks for all the feedback.

[hifinutt]

brilliant , glad its sounding good